After finding that certain fired employees and essential programs were mistakenly eliminated, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is backtracking on some department cuts.
Specifically, Kennedy now expects about 20% of the 10,000 laid-off workers to be reinstated.
The Department of Health and Human Services is reversing course on some of its recent cuts made under the direction of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
These cuts were part of the Trump administration’s promised reduction of government waste. They initially eliminated roughly 10,000 positions throughout the agency.
Kennedy admitted that mistakes were made during the sweeping layoffs. “Some programs that were cut, they’re being reinstated,” he told reporters. “Personnel that should not have been cut were cut. We’re reinstating them. And that was always the plan.”
The secretary emphasized that the reversal was expected as part of the streamlining process.
“Part of the DOGE, we talked about this from the beginning, is we’re going to do 80% cuts, but 20% of those are going to have to be reinstated, because we’ll make mistakes,” he explained.
“We’re streamlining the agencies. We’re going to make it work for public health, make it work for the American people,” Kennedy continued.
Among the programs mistakenly targeted was the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Lead Poisoning Prevention and Surveillance Branch, which monitors lead exposure in children across America.
The program plays a vital role in identifying environmental toxins and supporting state and local health departments dealing with lead contamination issues in communities.
Despite Kennedy’s announcement about reinstating the lead prevention work, CDC’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention branch director Erik Svendsen said he had not been informed about any reinstatement.
HHS later clarified that while the personnel for the lead poisoning division would not be rehired, the work would continue elsewhere within the department.
This is not the first course correction for the administration’s cuts. Previous layoffs saw hundreds of CDC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) employees reinstated after initial terminations.
Some FDA employees who received pink slips have been temporarily asked to return to work, highlighting the challenges of quick government downsizing.
The cuts have already impacted critical health services. The FDA’s inspections and investigations office, which lost around 170 employees, is planning cuts to routine inspections.
Milwaukee’s health department’s request for assistance with lead in water went unanswered due to the elimination of expert staff.
Despite these challenges, the Trump administration remains committed to its promise of reducing government bloat and inefficiency.
Kennedy’s willingness to correct mistakes demonstrates a balanced approach that aims to eliminate waste while preserving services essential to protecting American health and safety.
Local health officials remain cautiously optimistic about the potential reinstatements but continue to express concern about the broader impacts of the cuts on public health services.
